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Santa Cruz County Housing Articles



The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Pain and Progress in Pajaro

Tarmo Hannula and Todd Guild contributed to this story

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
Watsonville to Deactivate Crosswind Runway

The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday voted to close the crosswind runway at the airport, a move city officials say will open up more of the city for development of housing and commercial space.

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Pajaro Flood: One Year Later

Jerry Castro has lived in the same house on Jonathan Street in Pajaro all his life. His parents owned it before him, he then bought it off of them. His children and their children were also raised there. Now, more …

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Tenants Seek Ban on Rental Application Fees in Santa Cruz County

A home is advertised for rent on California Street in Santa Cruz in June 2023. Anderson Christie Real Estate charges a $30 non-refundable application fee which includes a credit report and other inquiries into the prospective tenant’s history. (Stephen Baxter …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Measure M’s Messaging Might Have Led to It’s Defeat

It all came down to messaging. Santa Cruz’s Measure M, also known as the Housing For People Initiative, suffered a resounding defeat at the polls last week. Now, even those behind the campaign say the lack of a streamlined message …

Press Banner logo LOCAL NEWS
Scotts Valley Continues to Grapple With State Housing Challenges

As Scotts Valley tried to convince the State Department of Housing and Community Development that it’s up to the task of planning for more than 1,220 homes for people across the income spectrum in less than a decade, the report …

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Progress highlighted on homeless services in Santa Cruz

Housing Matters Chief Impact Officer Mer Stafford speaks in front of pallet shelters for unhoused residents at the Housing Matters campus on Coral Street in Santa Cruz in January. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local)
SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz …

Image caption: Mark Oden was among the thousands of chronically homeless people helped by Sacramento Self-Help Housing prior to the organization’s failure.
The Collapse of Sacramento Self-Help Housing

A once-groundbreaking nonprofit working with chronically homeless people in California’s capital closed and filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Capitola Mall redevelopment stalls on affordable housing plans

Plans to redevelop the Capitola Mall have stalled since 2019. (Jesse Kathan — Santa Cruz Local)
CAPITOLA >> Capitola city staff want to spur development of the Capitola Mall by allowing taller buildings. But hundreds of required affordable homes make …

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Front Street hotel proposal advances in Santa Cruz

The Santa Cruz Planning Commission on Thursday night advanced a plan to build a hotel at Front and Laurel Streets with 232 rooms and ground-floor shops, a restaurant, a bar and a cafe.  (BCV Architecture + Interiors)
SANTA CRUZ >> …

Image caption: Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

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Silicon Valley Billionaires vs. Bay Area’s Housing Crisis?

In NYT’s “The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted,” we meet a man who wants to build a city in the middle of nowhere, and folks who are slowing him down.

Image caption: As residents continue to exit California, the state’s political power at the national level is at risk.
California Exodus, Housing and the State's Political Future

The California housing crisis is not only weakening the state politically at the national level, it could shift the political balance in Washington, D.C., as Republican-led states add population while California’s exodus continues.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Capitola senior housing proposal draws criticism

A four-story, 93-unit assisted living facility is proposed at Capitola Road and Bulb Avenue in Capitola. (Irwin Partners Architects)
CAPITOLA >> At a Capitola City Council meeting Thursday, a developer received mainly negative feedback on a proposal for a four-story, …

Image caption: The roundabout joining Highway 12 and State Route 113 in Rio Vista, just south of the site for a proposed new city of 400,000 people.
Solano County May Get to Vote on New City in November

California Forever, the company behind a proposed new city in Solano County, will submit a ballot measure seeking an exemption from local laws to allow development on the massive project to proceed.

Image caption: "Impact fees" add thousands to the cost of building new housing. The Supreme Court could end them.
SCOTUS Hears California Case That Could Make it Cheaper to Build Housing

The highest court in the land will soon decide how much leeway cities and counties have in offsetting new construction with fees to pay for infrastructure.

Image caption: Only one city in California guarantees tenants access to a lawyer when they face eviction.
For Tenants Facing Eviction, Lawyer Makes All the Difference

San Francisco provides all tenants facing eviction access to an attorney. Across the Bay, in Contra Costa County, it’s a different story. Two tenants’ stories show the difference a lawyer can make.

Image caption: “The era of saying no to housing is coming to an end,” says state Sen. Scott Wiener, author of two new housing laws.
Building Affordable Housing Gets Easier Under 2024 California Laws

California lawmakers made an effort in 2023 to remove red tape around new affordable houses, but obstacles such as high interest rates, sluggish local approval processes and a shortage of skilled construction workers remain.

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